I need some ideas for Sunday

[PghMarsha]

On Sunday, dh and I will be working a Spaghetti Dinner. This is a major fundraiser for an organization we belong to and we'll probably be there the majority of the day.

The menu is spaghetti with meat sauce, bread and butter, salad, beverage. Outside of the salad, I don't see anything I can eat legally. I think it would be tacky to pack a lunch but I'm considering it.

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to handle this? We're there to work and help raise money for a good cause but I feel like it's a mine field.

[trisellen]

will the meat sauce be made with flour, sugar or anything else? maybe you could have a litte bit of it, bring your own whole grain noodels and have some salad.
it´s tough but I would not cheat just because others will eat all that carb-stuff.
be strong and good luck !!!

(my whole family digs into noodles and bread at family reunions and I have to pick out the rare things which are not made with tons of wheat and sugar.....I completely know what you´re going through !)

[Judynyc]

Its not impossible and here are a few things that I'd do:

1- I'd eat a good meal before I go there with a healthy portion of protein to keep you feeling full.
2- I'd bring some other protein with you( HB eggs, grilled chicken) so that you can always make yourself a salad with your own protein.
3- I'd get myself pyscholgically prepared for the task of being around bread and pasta and not eating it.....that's possible but it will require a committment from you.

I'd not be embarrassed about bringing your own food.....you are on a mission!!! :D

Good luck...you can do this!! :cheer:

[Charran]

I agree with Judy...eat a meal before you go, then keep yourself busy working at the dinner! The time will fly by, you'll be busy and no one will even notice that you didn't eat!

[lcgrrl2006]

Me too. I'd eat before I went and nibble on salad there....

[icemanjs4]

Another trick, bring a plastic baggie filled with almonds (preferably the raw kind), and keep it in your pocket. If you get really hungry, you can just reach in your pocket and grab a few. You might have to eat more than the requisite 15, but if you're there for many hours, it's not a bad tradeoff. I've done this in the past and it reallyhelps me get through bad situations filled with junk food.

[sundancerk]

Tuck a cheesestick and a little bag of nuts in your purse before you go and eat them with your salad. I've done this lots of times, and usually nobody notices me surreptitiously adding to my plate. :)

Also, like Judy said, you'll do much better if you aren't starving when you go.

I know you'll do great!

[hk-lowcarb]

Agree w/ all the other suggestions about eating ahead of time, bringing your own snack, etc. Also - if the sauce is not too full of bad things, spaghetti sauce on salad can be very tasty. :)

For me, when I work w/ food I can't eat (e.g. serving ice cream at my kids' birthdays) I just try to think of the food in a really abstract way. Instead of wanting to taste, or unconciously licking a bit of chocolate ice cream off my hand - I try to just think of it as stuff I would not eat, like clay or mud. If I was helping my kids by setting up clay or play-dough, I would not try to eat it. It's a stupid little psychological trick I use on myself, but it worked.

[PghMarsha]

Thanks to all of you, I think I've come up with a game plan.

Since it will be a long day, the DH said we'll go out for breakfast. I'm thinking ham and cheese omelet and fresh fruit. I'm going to fix a chicken breast so I can have a chicken salad and I'll fix 2 oz. of ww pasta, just in case. If I don't eat it, the DH will. Then stick a baggie of nuts and a cheese stick in my pocket and go make some money. :)

Does this sound reasonable? Judy, you're right (again). I am on a mission and a mini-goal to hit by June 1. Why sabotage myself?

[Judynyc]

I like the idea of a ham/cheese omelet for breakfast but instead of the fruit, how about a salad instead? :idea:

You are staying true to your mission....sticking to your plan, good for you!! :thup: :D

[PghMarsha]

Judy, I see your point but salad is not a breakfast food for me. Maybe just tomato juice with the omelet. I have some time to explore options.

Thank you for reminding me that I'm on a mission. Sometimes your brain forgets simple things. I needed to hear that. :)

[sundancerk]

Your plan sounds great, Marsha! Good luck! (And I hope the fundraiser is wildly successful!)

[penelope]

I would bring some cheese and throw it over half bowl of the sauce and let it melt. You would have your own taste.